Bulk packaging containers are used for storage and shipment of bulk goods and equipment and such containers are particularly practical for use in the offshore oil and gas industry. Equipment has typically been moved to and from offshore oil and gas installations and drilling sites in baskets and containers of many different sizes and shapes.
The baskets typically utilized are normally fabricated with an open top and, more often than not, are randomly sized depending upon the designs and specifications of the company building and selling the basket. The containers typically utilized are closed in on all sides including the top and usually have a side door. These containers also come in many different shapes and sizes and have also been traditionally built to the specifications of the manufacturer.
In the past, offshore baskets and containers where slapped together with metal plate, expanded metal, tubing, I beam, or any other materials that a fabricator could find. Without thought, the baskets and containers were loaded down with cargo and sent offshore. Today the basket and container industry is a science in itself. The units are highly engineered pieces of equipment that are thoroughly tested for strength deficiencies and other insufficiencies.
For these reasons the containers and equipment utilized to move equipment on and offshore is continually being changed and modified. Further, the incidence of accidents involving lifting units have prompted many of the world's offshore a companies to rethink and retool their equipment. Rules, regulations, and practices for the use of such containers continue to evolve due to safety concerns and considerations.
The ISO shipping container has brought to the offshore industry a means for standardizing containers and shipping techniques throughout the shipping industry. Standardized containers are frequently employed in the shipping of goods and equipment by sea, rail, or trucking. The primary size used by international shippers is a container unit measuring 20 feet in width by 40 feet in length. However, the industry is developing needs for smaller units such as containers of the length of 10 feet, 8 feet, and even 6 feet in length. Such units are particularly useful in the oil and gas industry because they can be mass-produced and provided at a cost significantly less than custom built units. Such units, principally because of their size, may be more conveniently lifted and stored onto and off of service vessels and oil and gas platforms.
These smaller units also present some problems as manufacturers often ignore standardization requirements and safety concerns in the choice of the material and construction methods employed in production of the units. Further, there is a proliferation of equipment previously manufactured and used that does not necessarily comply with the strength and size requires currently being adopted. These problems may result in the inadvertent or unavoidable use of containers of different sizes and strength capabilities and as a result, their use may increase the risk of injury associated with the handling, lifting, loading, unloading, and transportation of these smaller units. There are two basic solutions to these container deficiencies. One is to implement and enforce standardized specifications for such containers that would ultimately result in increased shipping expenses due to the necessity of discarding or abandoning those containers currently being used. The other is to provide a container cradle that will serve to strengthen and support the container units. The major oil companies are adopting regulations and standards being proposed for lifting loads and capabilities of cargo containers employed in the oil and gas industry. These regulations and standards are intended to prevent or minimize accidents caused by failure of cargo container structures such as baskets, boxes, and the like during lifting and transporting the containers to and from offshore locations. One such offshore container lifting regulation is “DNV Offshore Container Regulation 2.7-1” that has been proposed by Det Norske Veritas, DNV, a Norwegian organization and an internationally recognized certification body. The cargo container cradle disclosed herein, when used in conjunction with a typical bulk cargo container, will satisfy such regulations.